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Fire officials disciplined for response failure in fatal blaze

Published: 20 Feb. 2026, 14:38

Firefighters put out a fire in this undated file photo. [JEONBUK FIRE SERVICE]

Two North Jeolla fire officials received disciplinary action for failing to dispatch crews to a reported house fire after misjudging an automated emergency alert as a malfunction, delaying the response before an older resident died.

The Jeonbuk Fire Service issued a reprimand to a fire sergeant who handled the call and did not order a dispatch, media outlet Newsis reported on Thursday. The situation team chief received a warning that does not count as a formal disciplinary measure.

The case stems from a fire that broke out at around 12:40 a.m. on Dec. 6 last year at a single-family home in Yongji-myeon, a township in Gimje, North Jeolla.

An alert from the government-run Emergency Safety Relax Service system indicated a possible fire, but the situation room judged it to be a device malfunction and did not send firefighters.

The Emergency Safety Relax Service automatically notifies fire authorities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and local governments when installed devices detect signs of fire or when a resident appears to be in distress, even if no 119 call is made.

After receiving the alert, the fire sergeant spoke by phone with an 80-year-old woman who was inside the home. During the initial call, she said “The fire won’t go out. [The device] is making a noise.”

Authorities concluded the device had malfunctioned and told her “There is nothing we can do [about a device problem],” before ending the call.

The Health Ministry, which also received the alert, contacted the woman and later asked fire authorities, “Shouldn’t you dispatch firefighters?” Officials replied that the issue involved a device malfunction.

Firefighters responded 12 minutes after the initial alert when a neighbor reported the fire. By the time crews arrived, flames had already spread. They later found the woman dead inside the house.

The provincial fire headquarters apologized, stating “Although the Emergency Safety Relax Service operated normally, complacent judgment in the situation room delayed the dispatch,” and pledged to prevent a recurrence.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]